But he was an evil king, for he did not seek the LORD with all his heart. 2 Chronicles 12:14
As I read the stories of the kings in the Old Testament, I am often amazed at how irresponsibly these men behaved. Reading the accounts of David and his descendants, I am saddened at how often these God-appointed leaders rejected the very One who placed them in their positions of authority.
David, whom the Bible describes as "a man after God's own heart" was adulterous, a disconnected father whose sons rebelled in response to his lack of involvement in their lives. David's son Solomon took the throne next, and is known as the wisest man who ever lived. And yet we find that for all his wisdom, Solomon couldn't follow the Lord's simple instructions NOT to intermarry with foreign women, and so he fell into idolatry.
Now Solomon's son, Rehoboam has come on the scene, and in his arrogance he rejects the counsel of experienced advisors. As a result, ten of the tribes of Israel reject him as their king, and the nation of Israel is divided. Ultimately, due to Rehoboam's poor leadership, the kingdom of Judah is attacked by the king of Egypt. But the Bible says in verse 12 that, "Because Rehoboam humbled himself, the LORD's anger was turned aside, and he did not destroy him completely. And there was still goodness in the land of Judah." When I read this, I think this shows a change of heart in Rehoboam, but then I come to verse 14, and God declares him "evil".
What is sobering in this story is the reason the Bible says he was evil. For all of his irresponsibility and poor leadership, this king is recorded as humbling himself and repenting. The Bible doesn't tell us that he married a bunch of foreign women and fell into idolatry like his father did. The Bible doesn't give account of his falling into adultery and murder like his grandfather did. And yet, Rehoboam is the one identified as an evil king!
The scripture says, "he was an evil king, for he did not seek the LORD with all his heart." As I read this, I can't help but feel a little concerned about my own spiritual condition. I love the Lord, I would say with all my heart, but I know that there are times when my actions indicate otherwise. All too often, I get caught up in the cares of this world. There are days when I get up and immediately get caught up in the busy-ness of life on earth without taking the time to seek the face of God through prayer and time in His Word. Sometimes, I just simply hold back, whether out of fear or selfishness or misplaced priorities...
Rehoboam was considerd EVIL because he did not seek the Lord with all of his heart. I do not want this to be said of me! I do not want to be remembered by God as one who was evil.
As I look at these accounts of the kings, it would seem that God looks at things a bit differently than we do. It was not David's actions that made him "a man after God's own heart." It was not Solomon's actions that made him a wise king, loved by God. And it was not Rehoboam's actions that made him an evil king. As God told Samuel the prophet at the beginning of this dynasty, "the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7)
It is your heart God is most concerned with. When He has our hearts, ultimately, He can bring our actions into alignment with His Word. If He does not have our hearts, we will be prone to evil...
Does God have your heart today?
... Just a thought...
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
To Suffer Loss
Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Matthew 6:26
I have been an observer in a heart-breaking drama this week. Please bear with me as I attempt to sort through this matter...
While setting up for a VBS/KidzKrusade on Sunday, a nasty thunderstorm blew through. After the rains and wind had subsided, one little robin family had suffered great loss. On the sidewalk beside our bus lay two tiny newly hatched robins and the remains of at least two other eggs. One of the babies lay dead on the cement; the other was badly injured, but still alive. From a distance away, the mother bird watched as we surveyed the situation. We looked up into the tree to see if it might be possible to return the surviving baby to its nest, but the nest was dangling sideways from a branch of the tree. Realizing that there was nothing we could do, we carefully moved the injured bird from the sidewalk to a soft patch of grass beneath the tree. We thought perhaps the mother might find a way to protect and comfort her little one. Sadly, another storm came through a few minutes later, sending what remained of the nest crashing to the sidewalk. When we headed out for the final time that evening, we stopped to check on the little survivor, only to find that ants had overtaken it and killed it.
A few tears were shed as we observed this little tragedy played out before our eyes that day. My heart went out to that little mama who, in a matter of a few minutes, lost everything. And though I know that birds are not emotional or spiritual beings who experience loss as we do, I couldn't help but grieve this great loss on behalf of the mother robin. I continued to think of her throughout the evening and on into the next day. When we arrived at the church on Monday afternoon, the fallen nest still remained on the sidewalk, a sad reminder of the previous day's tragic turn of events.
The most heart-breaking moment, though, came Tuesday evening. A few yards from the fallen nest sat a little robin, fluttering about, chattering a mournful little song. She seemed so lost! Just two days earlier, her little life had great joy and purpose - new little hatchlings greeting the world, needing her constant care and attention. But now, this little mother seemed unable to figure out what to do with herself. With no babies to care for and no nest to go home to, she seemed to have lost her purpose.
I never have been very good at accepting the hard truths of nature. I HATE to watch the documentaries where the cheetah actually catches the poor little rabbit for a meal. I still cry when I watch The Lion King and Mufasa is trampled by the wildebeests. So you can imagine, the Robin Family Saga will not soon be forgotten.
As I have thought about how sad this whole incident made me feel, I was reminded that I was not the only one impacted by this loss. Even this seemingly insignificant incident did not go unnoticed by our heavenly Father who feeds and cares even for the birds. A little part of me wondered why He didn't choose to save this little robin family. He could have...
And I was reminded that His ways are not our ways! Tragedy is a part of life. It is unpleasant, but it is inevitable. It is the "in your face" evidence of our sin-stricken world. It simply cannot be avoided.
I learned today of a human mom who lost her baby, and my heart aches even more deeply than before. Life is hard. There is simply no getting around it. But I am reminded that even in the difficult times, we have a God who cares. Though He may not reverse all the tragedies of life or insulate us from the painful consequences of life in a sin-ridden world, He will never leave us to face the difficult times alone. It is often in these deeply sorrowful times that we can learn to know Him as the "God of all comfort".
Whatever loss may have come your way recently, I want to encourage you with this incredible knowledge that the God who cares for the birds and the flowers, cares even more deeply for you. He will not leave you to face difficult days alone.
...Just a thought...
I have been an observer in a heart-breaking drama this week. Please bear with me as I attempt to sort through this matter...
While setting up for a VBS/KidzKrusade on Sunday, a nasty thunderstorm blew through. After the rains and wind had subsided, one little robin family had suffered great loss. On the sidewalk beside our bus lay two tiny newly hatched robins and the remains of at least two other eggs. One of the babies lay dead on the cement; the other was badly injured, but still alive. From a distance away, the mother bird watched as we surveyed the situation. We looked up into the tree to see if it might be possible to return the surviving baby to its nest, but the nest was dangling sideways from a branch of the tree. Realizing that there was nothing we could do, we carefully moved the injured bird from the sidewalk to a soft patch of grass beneath the tree. We thought perhaps the mother might find a way to protect and comfort her little one. Sadly, another storm came through a few minutes later, sending what remained of the nest crashing to the sidewalk. When we headed out for the final time that evening, we stopped to check on the little survivor, only to find that ants had overtaken it and killed it.
A few tears were shed as we observed this little tragedy played out before our eyes that day. My heart went out to that little mama who, in a matter of a few minutes, lost everything. And though I know that birds are not emotional or spiritual beings who experience loss as we do, I couldn't help but grieve this great loss on behalf of the mother robin. I continued to think of her throughout the evening and on into the next day. When we arrived at the church on Monday afternoon, the fallen nest still remained on the sidewalk, a sad reminder of the previous day's tragic turn of events.
The most heart-breaking moment, though, came Tuesday evening. A few yards from the fallen nest sat a little robin, fluttering about, chattering a mournful little song. She seemed so lost! Just two days earlier, her little life had great joy and purpose - new little hatchlings greeting the world, needing her constant care and attention. But now, this little mother seemed unable to figure out what to do with herself. With no babies to care for and no nest to go home to, she seemed to have lost her purpose.
I never have been very good at accepting the hard truths of nature. I HATE to watch the documentaries where the cheetah actually catches the poor little rabbit for a meal. I still cry when I watch The Lion King and Mufasa is trampled by the wildebeests. So you can imagine, the Robin Family Saga will not soon be forgotten.
As I have thought about how sad this whole incident made me feel, I was reminded that I was not the only one impacted by this loss. Even this seemingly insignificant incident did not go unnoticed by our heavenly Father who feeds and cares even for the birds. A little part of me wondered why He didn't choose to save this little robin family. He could have...
And I was reminded that His ways are not our ways! Tragedy is a part of life. It is unpleasant, but it is inevitable. It is the "in your face" evidence of our sin-stricken world. It simply cannot be avoided.
I learned today of a human mom who lost her baby, and my heart aches even more deeply than before. Life is hard. There is simply no getting around it. But I am reminded that even in the difficult times, we have a God who cares. Though He may not reverse all the tragedies of life or insulate us from the painful consequences of life in a sin-ridden world, He will never leave us to face the difficult times alone. It is often in these deeply sorrowful times that we can learn to know Him as the "God of all comfort".
Whatever loss may have come your way recently, I want to encourage you with this incredible knowledge that the God who cares for the birds and the flowers, cares even more deeply for you. He will not leave you to face difficult days alone.
...Just a thought...
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